The Hardest Places To Play the BluesPart Four: Playing Gospel/Christian Blues in a Non-Christian Venue

I want everyone to know that I am a minister. I haven’t ever tried to hide it, I’m not ashamed of it and I don’t flaunt it, and I also don’t think that it creates some kind of special privilege for me either. Most people around the world know me as “The Electric Rev,” and I like that! My music has opened the door for us to play in a lot of places where a typical minister would not be welcome. When we first started I have to say it was a little scary, for sure. It turned out that the only thing that was scary wasn’t the people at the venue, it was the religious culture that didn’t really want anything to do with anything outside of their controlled religious culture. I was that way for years. I had adopted this “us & them” mentality until I discovered that Jesus didn’t have that mindset and in fact, He came for us all and not just the religious. You know the “whosoever will let him come” thing!

I will admit that it was a journey for me, and you can read about it in detail in my book Don’t Take Your Dreams To The Grave. My discovery was, can I do what I do, (sing songs of faith) outside of the church in a way that will inspire people to connect to Jesus and not alienate them in the process? I admit I have done both and like one more than the other. I will also admit it’s a bit of a dance. Yes, I want to give my listeners the best music possible and inspire them to believe. I also know that I will not have their ears if I am not kind, gracious, loving, respectful, etc. All that fruit of the Spirit stuff.

I love the music that I play. Be it blues, gospel blues, Christian blues, southern rock, or country. I choose my songs carefully. I am always looking to find a message in the song that I can connect to, even the ones that I don’t write. Like my cover of “Honky Tonk Blues” by Hank Williams. Yes, it is a song about living the party lifestyle, yet it also has a story of redemption that is really close to the story of the lost boy in Luke 15, the prodigal son story. The boy blows all of his daddy's money and finally figures out that it wasn’t as bad at home as he thought. That will preach right there.

People will ask me, “How much persecution do you get in non-church-venues.” My answer to them is shocking when I say, “None.” And here is why: When you respect people when you are kind to people when you genuinely care and love people, everyone wants someone like that in their life, right? Don’t you? Whenever I step into a venue, I am looking to create a lasting mutually beneficial relationship with everyone. It is not a one-time shot for me. I want to create value for the venue owners, the folks working at the venue, and the people who come to hear the music. I want them to walk away shocked that I sang about the things of faith and at the end of the night they leave thinking what a great time they had. Yes, some will be uncomfortable, but that is not coming from me, that is coming from the conflict in their own hearts. I hope at the end of the concert most will leave with this one thought: “That guy sang about Jesus and I liked it.”

Because we live in a post-Christian culture we have to start communicating with people as if they have no previous knowledge of the things of God or church culture. If at the end of my concert, they walk away knowing one thing, then I’ve done a good job. What is the one thing? That God is good, always.

Peace,

Jimmie

P.S. Leave a comment below and share with me your toughest place to do what you do!

The Hardest Places I’ve Played the Blues Part Three: A Homeless Encampment

“Under a bridge near the river is where I met him. He camps there and calls it home. In his eyes, I saw the struggle of a life castaway. He said my name is Sinner, I’ve got no place else to go.” These words are from a song on my new album Far Enough titled “My Name Is Sinner.” Although the man (I named Sinner) doesn’t exist, the location and the people that I met under the bridge are very real.

For the past few years, I’ve been invited to be part of an event called “The Worship Wagon,” whose mission is to do a church service for the homeless and feed them all dinner. The venue is under a bridge at 1st & Grand Street in Kansas City, near the Missouri River. It was the people I met there that inspired me to write this song.

As I looked into their eyes I could only imagine the pain they’ve experienced that brought them to this place. It was like their eyes were screaming at me, “What are you going to do about me?” Homelessness is a complex issue that needs a host of us working to find a solution and bring assistance to those who desire help within this community.

Every time I am invited to play under the bridge I feel a weight. I guess a better way to describe it is I feel a responsibility to be blatantly honest and as kind as possible. As I select my songs for the event, I look for songs that allow me to speak openly and honestly about what I know can help us all. Please notice what I said, “What I know can help US all.” I cannot help but include myself among those who need help… and really be honest, can you? Because if I am, to be honest, I must first know and admit that I am just as messed up as everybody else. We all live on this planet that we broke, (I’m being honest now). We can blame God, the devil, our parents, the government, and everyone else we can think of. But in the words of the U.S. President from Independence, MO: “The Buck Stops Here.”

So, what is the answer to all of our problems? Is it a happy gospel blues or Christian blues song? Well, maybe it depends on the messages in the songs, right? There is only one answer to all of our problems, love! Love is the answer that God chooses, so that has to be my choice as well. After mankind (that’s us) sold out the planet and told God that we no longer trusted Him, we tried to hide from Him and started blaming everyone else. Then He came up with a plan that only God could come up with. His plan wasn’t I’m going to punish them, they will get what they deserve. It wasn’t I’m going to curse them, be mean and angry to them. He would have none of that. His plan was then and is now, I’m going to love them.

Jesus came to this planet to show us the Love of God. He took upon Himself all of our sins, pain, and sickness and defeated every enemy so that we could know The Love of God for ourselves. He saved me from myself.

Peace,

Jimmie

P.S. Leave a comment below and share with me your toughest place to do what you do!